The Telluride Ski Patrol Strike Is Over

The strike, which started on December 27 and lasted for 13 days, came as the patrollers sought higher wages and a pay structure aimed at improving patroller retention.

Like other ski resort towns, the cost of living in Telluride has ballooned well above the national norm, with the average rent for a one-bedroom property being $3,182, according to Zillow. 

Before the work stoppage, the patrollers had been locked in negotiations with Telluride Ski Resort for months.

“While we are ultimately very disappointed to not address our broken wage structure, we are immensely proud of our efforts that have led to this financial movement,” the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) wrote in a statement.

“The 'No' votes in our ratification speak to the severity of this issue,” their statement continued. “A fair wage structure would provide stability and security with a clear future for our current and future members. Increased retention equals increased safety. No work stoppage is painless and all compromises are uncomfortable.”

The strike prompted Telluride Ski Resort to close, putting intense pressure on local businesses during the holidays, which were left without the town’s economic driver. While the mountain did eventually hold a reopening amid the strike, it only included limited terrain. Last winter, Park City Mountain, Utah, also faced a ski patrol strike during the holidays. It remained open through the work stoppage, but faced complaints about limited terrain offerings and long lines for its chairlifts. 

“The closure has had immediate and compounding impacts across the region. Visitation has declined sharply, trip cancellations are accelerating, and workforce reductions have already begun within the local business community,” the Town of Mountain Village wrote in a report detailing the impacts of the Telluride labor dispute and unseasonably warm early-season conditions. Around 100 residents and business owners hit the streets earlier this week, calling for an end to the disagreement between the mountain and its patrollers.

One local petition asked the TPSPA to “execute a strategic pivot,” and “accept a less than ideal offer, end the strike, and return to work immediately.”

The petition, which had more than 500 supporters, called the TPSPA “core to the soul of this mountain,” adding that they “deserve a living wage.” But, it said, “we must also face a third, darker truth together: This strike is not hurting Chuck Horning,” Telluride Ski Resort’s owner.

“For businesses, resort workers, community members, everyone, we appreciate your patience. This has been incredibly tough on us all,” the patrollers wrote in the conclusion of their statement, nodding to the closure's impacts. “We happily look forward to serving this community as the Telluride Ski Patrol. Let it snow.”